Shadow of Greed
by DEVILZ CHIK
Summary: Sequel to Your Shadow. No moments forgotten, no feelings vanished. Sakura and Syaoran meet again – are they ready to be together now… with the shadow of greed looming over their eyes?
1. morning surprise

**Shadow of Greed  
**By: DEVILZ CHIK  
---------------------------------

**Author's Notes:  
**For all those who waited patiently and are continuously giving their support, I salute you and thank you. Here's the sequel of **Your Shadow**. I do hope you all will like this and will be with me all the way. By the end of **Your Shadow**, there was an overwhelming number of Author Alerts so I do hope that all of those who subscribed are all excited for this. Enjoy reading, people.

**Disclaimer:  
**_I don't own CCS. _

**Summary:  
**Sequel to Your Shadow. No moments forgotten, no feelings vanished. Sakura and Syaoran meet again – are they ready to be together now… with the shadow of greed looming over their eyes?

**Another note about the title:  
**Hey guys! Before plunging in the story… raise your hand if you're a Star Wars fan. Well, if you are, you might have guessed correctly already that 'shadow of greed' is _jealousy_. And, I think I'm going to create that drama with that very powerful emotion. Here's the last note, don't worry.

Enjoy reading now.

---------------------------------  
**chapter one: morning surprise  
**---------------------------------

Everything was in place.

The garden was adorned with light yellow daisies and laces with the color of aqua. The red carpet was proudly laid on the grass and the arch was strong and still in front of the podium for the priest. The chairs for the guests were in rows of seven; some are already being occupied.

There were only fifteen minutes until the ceremony.

The guests were both anxious and excited for the couple that was to be married that afternoon.

Inside the house, the groom with his best man stood in front of a full-length mirror, admiring themselves in their stylish tuxedos. The best man loosened his bowtie slightly and wiped the sweat on his forehead. He looked more nervous than the groom.

"I can't believe you're getting married, man," he told the groom, giving himself one last look in the mirror. "How long did you wait for this?"

"Forever," was the groom's simple reply as he could not help his grin getting wider by the thought of getting married with the most wonderful woman in his life.

"Let's go, then?"

The two men exited their room, slowing down where the bride and her friends are. They could hear faint giggles and laughter inside the room but they knew better than eavesdropping so they continued their way to the garden.

Only boxes of the accessories were left on the bed as the bride carefully place them on her ears, around her neck and around her wrist. She felt wonderful, gazing herself at the mirror with her elegant white dress flowing down to the floor.

Her brown hair was fashionably styled for the occasion. Her face did not have much make-up on, highlighting her natural beauty. She looked gorgeous.

"This is such a great day!" exclaimed one of her friends from behind her. She was one of the bridesmaids and was currently holding a very handy camera. "I'm so excited! I get full coverage of the proposal _and_ the wedding! This is absolutely terrific!"

"_Tomoyo_," the bride whined. "Are you still gonna hold that camera when you're walking down the aisle before me?"

"Of course not!" Tomoyo replied. "I'm going to have my men film every moment of the ceremony. I just get the behind-the-scenes."

"The guys are down there already," another bridesmaid said. She was by the window and had put the curtains aside to get a better view of the garden downstairs.

The maid of honor rushed to the window as well and looked at the garden.

"Wow, the garden looks amazing from up here," she said.

"Well, it was all thanks to you," the bride told her maid of honor. "You're the best wedding planner ever, you know!"

The girls joined in for a group hug and broke apart before their hairs get ruined. Everyone took a deep breath and let it out all at the same time. With one final look at the mirror, they all exited the room and proceeded to the garden.

Without further ado, the march on the aisle started.

The groom stood determined at the end of the aisle already, with his best man beside him. They watched as each of the bridesmaids walked down the aisle followed by the maid of honor. And lastly, the bride… with her arm around her beloved father, who looked noble with his tuxedo.

Finally, the two of them stood in front of the priest.

"Do you, Takashi Yamazaki, take Mihara Chiharu, as your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'til death do you part?"

"I do," was Yamazaki's sincere reply.

Sakura as the maid of honor stood still and had an elated feeling as she watched her friends finally tie the knot. She sighed softly and grabbed the tiny bouquet of flowers in her hands. Tomoyo who was beside her nudged her.

"Don't they look majestic?" Tomoyo whispered.

"Yeah, they do," Sakura replied dreamily.

Sakura never knew that she could explore her artistic skills and creativity in college. But the beauty and the aesthetic elements of art just greatly amazed her. It definitely surprised her that she would become an event planner, a successful one at that. Her business was doing incredibly well, and she smiled at herself for being part of so many events with her friends.

The wedding ceremony ended well and everyone proceeded to the other part of the garden for the reception. Pictures from the high school days of the newly wedded couple were being shown on a projector and everyone watching the slideshow was awed by the fact that the relationship lasted long.

Sakura, being the wedding planner of the event, forgot about her maid of honor duties and checked if everything was going well. She walked to the kitchen and greeted the chefs and the waitresses. Before exiting, she sneaked one plate of strawberry pie that was meant to be served later on in the evening.

Her eyes scanned the garden.

Tomoyo was currently giving orders to her men to capture every moment of the event. Chiharu and Yamazaki were sitting comfortably on their tables. Naoko and Rika were by the buffet tables, getting food. The two families were happily mingling with each other… _Another successful event, Sakura_, she thought to herself.

As she took another bite out of her pie, someone came up to her.

"Say, where did you get that tasty-looking pie?" the man said.

She turned to the person and smiled innocently.

"Hello to you too, Mihara-san," she greeted politely, looking ashamed at her pie.

"I see you're having a lovely time consuming that dessert," Chiharu's father teased.

Not knowing what to do in such an awkward situation, Sakura shyly offered it to Mr. Mihara.

"Would you like some?" she asked.

"I'm not really a fan of strawberries," he admitted, smiling. "You just enjoy yourself, Sakura. You did a great job today. Thank you very much for organizing this event. The family really appreciates it."

"You're very welcome," she replied, flattered at Mr. Mihara's comment. "But you don't really have to thank me. Chiharu has been one of my best friends since elementary."

"Ah, yes," he said, remembering his daughter's younger years. "You've always been there for Chiharu. I remember hiring you every summer to be with Chiharu when we leave the country."

Sakura's face fell for a second, remembering those days when she worked for the agency, but she brightened up quickly afterwards.

"Yeah… it feels like a totally different life," and her statement held so much more meaning than what she wants Mr. Mihara to hear.

"You are all grown-ups now," Mr. Mihara almost dramatically. "My little girl just got married. Maybe soon, I will be a grandfather."

Sakura could only smile at the older man. Did time really pass by that quickly?

Well, it had been seven years since high school. Things were so much different now.

She completely resigned from the agency. Touya was still in the agency, though. He married his old childhood sweetheart, Kaho Mizuki, since meeting her again brought back the old sparks. She gave birth to a beautiful son, Mitsui Kinomoto. Fujitaka Kinomoto still did not look a grandfather and was still strong enough to go to archaeological journeys.

Tomoyo has her own clothing line and she does video work on the side. Naoko just finished her first book. Rika was currently working her way up in an advertising company. Chiharu was doing well in their family business. Yamazaki became a talented comic book artist at a young age…

…And Sakura became an event planner.

They all seemed so satisfied with their lives right now.

And just like Sakura said… the past was like a totally different life.

Chiharu's mother called Mr. Mihara so he politely took his leave from Sakura. Finishing her pie, she decided to walk around the venue.

However, her feet seemed glued to the floor as soon as her eyes gazed at the pictures that were currently showing at the projector.

They were pictures of Yamazaki from his high school days when he was in the soccer team. And just who was standing out in the pictures in Sakura's eyes?

_Li Syaoran_.

Her eyes never left the pictures where Syaoran is.

Without being aware of it, her heart was suddenly beating faster… her chest tightening… her palms sweaty… her breath short… her eyes teary…

His name or picture never had such an effect before. Why was _this_ happening to her now?

She admits she missed him but she already accepted the fact that he might never come back. True, from time to time, she would remember him… but she knows thinking about him was useless_ and_ pointless. She knew that thinking about him was not going to bring him back.

…_Not like I want him back, anyway_.

----------------------------

_**Sakura's Point of View**_

I glanced at the clock in my car. It read 7:20 in the morning. Yawning, I slowed down and parked the car nearly at the Takashi's driveway. There was a cab waiting there already and before I could come out of the car, Yamazaki went out of the house with two suitcases in his hands.

"C'mon, Chiharu!" he called out, handing the suitcases to the nice cab driver. He watched as the driver put the suitcases neatly in the trunk. "We're going to miss our flight if you don't hurry!"

I laughed softly and went out of my car.

"Can you just _chill_ for a moment?" I heard Chiharu shout from inside the house. "Sakura's not even here yet."

Hearing my name, I decided to announce my presence. I walked over to where Yamazaki was and smiled at him.

"I'm here, Chiharu-chan!" I shouted towards the house. And as if on cue, Chiharu came running out, with her dog in her arms and a stylish bag.

"Okay, Sakura," Chiharu started. "The life of Kero is in your hands," she handed me her cute, little dog. "He hasn't eaten breakfast yet. I was going to feed him but you showed up and we're running late. This is an extra key to the house," she handed me the key. "If you need anything, we are permitting you to go inside the house."

I stared at them, bewildered. Was this the reason why they wanted me here early in the morning? I thought they only wanted me to see them off…

"We trust you that much, Sakura," Yamazaki said beside me.

"But…" I said. "…I don't even think I'd need anything from your house."

"Kero has his mood swings, most of all when he's in an environment he doesn't recognize so it will be nice to bring him here from time to time when he's… out of control," Chiharu explained. "But don't worry, Kero likes your apartment the best, but just in case, keep the key, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay, I'll take care of everything, I promise," I told them.

"We know you will," Chiharu replied, giving me a hug. "We'll see you in a month."

Yamazaki gave me a hug as well. "Bye, Sakura," he said.

"Bye, Kero-chan," Chiharu said to her dog in my arms. "Mommy will be back in one month. Behave, okay?"

Kero barked softly in reply and made almost a whining sound when he saw Yamazaki and Chiharu got in the cab. I stayed in the driveway until the cab was out of sight.

I sighed and cuddled Kero in my arms. I walked towards the house and went to the kitchen to look for Kero's food.

Chiharu had prepared for everything. She left little notes about Kero… where his food was, his toys… his little bed… I poured some dog food in his dog plate and settled down on one of high stools behind the kitchen counter.

I was too sleepy for this. I only had to meet one client today and it was in the afternoon. And after staying up so late last night celebrating the wedding… I was anticipating sleeping in for today. But, Chiharu had sounded so eager this morning… who would have thought that she only wanted me to take care of Kero?

I rested my head on the counter and watched Kero finish up his munchies.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

That's odd. Did Chiharu and Yamazaki forget something?

The doorbell rang again before I could reach the door. Okay, maybe it was them. It seemed urgent. I walked faster to the door and opened it but only to reveal a man who was facing his back to me.

"Ano…excuse me, sir?" I said, trying to gain the attention of the man.

The man turned around and he looked awfully familiar. I searched my brain to locate the name of the person… but before I could pinpoint who it was exactly, he spoke.

"Sakura?" he said.

Although I was slightly freaked out, I was determined that I did know this man from somewhere. Even his voice was familiar.

The deep brown eyes… the chocolate hair…

I was still holding on to the doorknob. I then forced my eyes to look away from him, only to gaze at the two very familiar people waiting by a black car, parked behind my own car. It was Ken and Yuri.

I looked up at the man in front of me.

No way.

No friggin' way.

This was not happening.

"It's me – Syaoran," he spoke out.

"Huh, what?" I said, terribly confused what was happening.

Was he really standing there in front of me right now?

"I missed you," he said softly, his eyes sparkling with something I cannot really recognize with my sleep-deprived condition.

Before I could check if I was dreaming or not, he leaned closer and pressed his lips against mine. My eyes widened at the contact and I stepped backwards in surprise. He held on to my waist though and pushed me closer towards him, deepening the kiss.

And then, I could hear a doorbell from far away. I could hear Kero barking as well. Was Kero getting mad that he could see me kissing Syaoran? Would he go off and tell Chiharu and the others? And why wouldn't the doorbell stop ringing? Was Syaoran still pressing that button? And who the hell is tugging on my pants?

Tugging? Pants? Doorbell? Kero?

Holy hell.

I lifted my head from the counter and lazily walked towards the door.

"Coming… coming," I said sleepily, but loud enough for the person who was behind the door could hear.

The remnants of the dream were still fresh and I unconsciously touched my lips. Why would I even dream about Syaoran now? What a very weird timing. I shrugged, taking my final steps to the door. Maybe it was because of the pictures from yesterday.

Yeah, those pictures.

Pursing my lips together, I opened the door and revealed the same man from my dream. He was wearing something different though – as he stood in front of me right now, he looked gorgeous in his elegant business suit, compared to his casual attire in my dream.

But the point is… Syaoran's here!

What?!

I furrowed my eyebrows and cocked my head to one side to get a better look at him. He seemed to be doing the same thing. We both looked confused as our eyes met and felt the awkwardness of the situation.

"Sakura?" he spoke up.

Okay, this was becoming like the dream I just had, which was really creepy.

As I felt the goosebumps overtake my body, I quickly slammed the door in front of him. Once safely inside, I rested my back against the door since my feet were glued to the floor.

My heart was racing.

My vision was spinning.

Don't tell me this is another dream.

I bit my finger hard and let out a soft 'Ow' as I felt the pain.

This was real?

The doorbell rang again.

Taking deep breaths, my heart rate slowed down slightly. With one final long intake of air and with my eyes shut, I completely opened the door.

I opened one of my eyes slowly then the other… and closed them again and opened them again…

He was still there. Not disappearing. Looking at me closely.

And now, smirking at me.

Yeah, it was him.

I sighed, crossed my arms and pouted.

"You're really here, huh?" I managed to speak out.

"Yep," was his simple reply.

"You're not going away, are you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, as if still in doubt that this was still a dream.

"Not this time," he answered and I caught the ambiguity his statement held.

"No one told you to go away last time," I muttered under my breath, refusing to look at him.

"Sakura…" he said, as if pleadingly.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" I asked, making it sound that I was not liking the conversation we were having right now.

"This is Chiharu and Yamazaki's house, right?" he said. "They sent me an invitation for their wedding but I couldn't get out of the country yesterday so I didn't make it. I'm here for business today though and I thought I'd catch them before they leave for their honeymoon."

Chiharu and Yamazaki sent him an invitation? How did that happen without my knowledge? I was their wedding planner. I checked the guest list and the names for the invitations. Syaoran's name would have caught my attention.

"You just missed them," I replied. "They already left."

And then, silence.

Shouldn't he be starting to walk away now? He didn't have any purpose here anymore.

"Can I just leave my gift, then?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied as polite as possible.

He then took something out of his jacket. An envelope, which he handed to me. I received it and watched him stand there.

"Is there anything else?" I asked him.

"No, nothing else," he answered but it seemed like it was forced. "It's nice seeing you again, Sakura."

"Sure," I said indifferently.

He turned around and walked to his car, where I'm sure his bodyguards were waiting for him. Before he reached his car and drove off, I went inside and closed the door behind me. I let out a breath and only realized how intense it was seeing him again like that. Talking to him. Face to face.

The last conversation I had with him was that phone call the day after he left. If that was even him – the caller didn't even talk… Huh, come to think of it, I was not even sure if it _was_ him.

But he was here now. I could ask him. This was my chance to ask him.

I opened the door quickly and was glad that he was just getting inside his car. Was he walking that slowly?

"Hey! Wait!" I called out, running towards him.

He gestured to his bodyguard that it was okay so the suited man walked away and eased.

"Yeah?" he said expectantly. I wanted to rub off the grin off of his face.

"Did you…" I paused, looking for the right words. Would I sound so stupid if I ask him? Oh well, whatever… What have I got to lose? "Did you call me the day after you left for Hong Kong?"

He looked hesitant to reply until finally, "Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"Why didn't you say something, then?" I demanded.

"I don't know," he shrugged both of his shoulders, confused. "I just… I thought it would be better for you that I leave sooner and I didn't really know what to say. I was ashamed that I couldn't even say goodbye to you properly and every time I go here in Japan, I would always pass by your house –"

"What?!" I exclaimed, hearing his last sentence. "You have been going here in Japan? You would pass by _my_ house!?"

Syaoran rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the floor.

"Yeah, but I never had the courage to knock and –"

His bodyguard broke him off. "Mr. Li, you'll be late to your morning conference meeting," the man told him.

Syaoran looked helplessly towards his bodyguard. "Yeah, I'm coming," he said monotonously. He then turned towards me.

"You should go," I said softly, nodding towards his car.

"But Sakura…"

"No, it's alright now," I told him. "I just really wanted to know if it was you who called seven years ago."

"Mr. Li?" his bodyguard asked for him again.

Syaoran ignored it.

"Goodbye, then," he said in a low voice. He opened his car door but before he got in, he looked at me straight in the eye and said, "…And Sakura, I want you to know that I'm here to stay."

----------------------------  
**end of chapter one  
**---------------------------

_**preview of next chapter:  
**__Sakura has baby-sitting duties and someone just happens to show up on her doorstep. With Syaoran's coming back, will it be high school all over again? But wait, Sakura has an admirer? And of course, Syaoran is not happy with this. _

**Author's Notes:  
**Well, that was Chapter 1. I hope you all liked it. I made Syaoran come back _and_ meet Sakura in the first chapter – tell me that's wonderful. The best man is an insignificant person… or let's just say, a very close friend of Yamazaki that has been behind the scenes perhaps? And yes, Kero is owned by Chiharu. And yes, Syaoran is there to stay, but to get Sakura back? You have to wait and read on.

Please review!

With lots of love,  
**DEVILZ CHIK**


	2. unsatisfied evening

**Shadow of Greed  
**By: DEVILZ CHIK  
---------------------------------

**Author's Notes:  
**I loved all the responses I got from the first chapter. I'm glad everyone liked how I started it. Hope you tune in and enjoy the story. And I'm sorry for the delay. I finished the chapter few days ago but it slipped my mind that I haven't uploaded it yet to the site. Sorry, getting older and getting distracted these days. Hope you enjoy reading.

**Summary:  
**_Sequel to Your Shadow._ No moments forgotten, no feelings vanished. Sakura and Syaoran meet again – are they ready to be together now… with the shadow of greed looming over their eyes?

**Disclaimer:  
**_I don't own CCS. _

Enjoy reading now. 

---------------------------------  
**chapter two: unsatisfied evening  
**---------------------------------

"_He's not good enough for you," he whispered in her ear, his hands getting hold of her arms, their bodies only inches away from each other. _

_His breath on her ear sent tingles up her spine and she stood there frozen on her spot as she took in his words. When he walked away from her, his eyes remained fixed on hers, trying to let her know that he meant what he said and he meant something so much more. His gaze broke away from hers just when he turned around to proceed to the exit._

_She was left there in confusion and uneasiness. Her heart was beating fast… faster than ever, just like it used to when he was around. _

_She found that Syaoran could still take her breath away. _

**.eight hours earlier. **

It had been a week. 

A week since he had set his eyes on Sakura and had talked to her. One week after seven years. It had been one week since he had spent those few, precious minutes with her.

…And he honestly terribly missed her. 

Syaoran ruffled his hair as he sat on his office chair. He had just finished another business conference and he was bored to death. He could do nothing but think of Sakura – and it was what he had been doing for the past week. 

He would pass by her apartment building many times but would not have the courage to go up and knock on her door. His driver had already considered him crazy and probably called him a stalker in his head but he could care less. 

He picked up his office phone and stared at the number on the piece of paper located on top of his desk. It was Sakura's number… Should he call?

What could he say?

_How's it going?_

_I miss you?_

_Did you miss me too?_

Lame. Lame. Lame. 

He stood up in frustration and walked out of his office, quickly telling his secretary that he was done for the day. It was only hours after lunch and he was not supposed to leave until five or six but oh well… he was the boss. What could they do about it?

Syaoran quietly went down to the parking lot and spotted his driver and bodyguard already waiting for him by his car. No… he wasn't feeling to be with them today. 

"Give me the keys," he told the driver. 

The driver hesitated. 

"But, Li-sama," the driver stuttered, clutching the keys in his hand. "We were told not to let you drive by yourself."

"Whoever told you that?" Syaoran demanded. 

"Your mother and our superiors," the driver replied, more confidently this time. 

"Then, why else do I have a driver's license if I can't even drive?" Syaoran said angrily. But the little self-control he had stopped him from attacking his driver and grabbing the keys from his hand. 

"I'm sorry, Li-sama," the driver said apologetically. "We're just following orders."

Syaoran sighed and got in the car moodily. 

The driver turned to the bodyguards and they all shrugged and got inside the car with their young boss. The driver asked him where they were going and Syaoran only grunted Sakura's apartment building. 

---------------------------------

Sakura walked around her apartment one last time, checking if there were more fragile objects lying around that she should keep in safer place.

She was having a party tonight. It had been a long time since her week had been free and she was celebrating it all-out tonight. She invited her friends over and had told them to bring some random people to spice things up a bit. 

She was truly going all-out tonight. 

Having finished checking her apartment, she was satisfied with how the things were set-up. She had already prepared Kero's bed in her room so he would not be disturbed later with the people coming over tonight. 

She then grabbed her purse and proceeded outside. She went down to the basement parking, got inside her car and made her way towards Touya's house. She had baby-sitting duties to fulfill before she could buy food for tonight. Or maybe she could just order some take-outs. She smirked, _huh, that seems perfect_. 

She was whistling with the song playing in her car as she drives. She was in an extremely good mood today. 

Nothing could go wrong. 

Absolutely nothing.

Neatly parking her car outside Touya's house, she was still humming when she rang the doorbell. 

Outside the front door, she could hear tiny little footsteps hurriedly approaching the door which buried the calm, heavy steps nearing the door. She smiled at this, knowing too well that her nephew was excited to see her. She was excited as well, after all.

The door opened and revealed her sister-in-law, Kinomoto Kaho and Kinomoto Mitsui. The little guy grabbed Sakura's hand immediately and dragged her inside, preventing the two ladies to say their own hellos. 

Kaho only smiled and closed the door. She followed her son to the living room where he took Sakura. 

"Onee-san! Onee-san!" Mitsui was happily saying to her Aunt Sakura. "Otto-san said you'll be thrilled to watch horror movies with me!"

At the sound of horror movies, Sakura momentarily went white and turned helplessly to Kaho. Should she tell her four-year-old nephew that she could not stand watching horror movies and it was because of his own father?

Mitsui was a smart, little kid, though. 

"I was only kidding, onee-san," he said softly. "I know that you're scared of horror movies. Otto-san told me about that already. So… I was thinking we can just play ball!"

Sakura brightened up at the suggestion and gave a sigh of relief. She didn't know how she was going to explain herself to her nephew that a grown woman like her could not watch a horror movie with two eyes open. 

"But, I lost my ball somewhere around here this morning so we have to look for it," Mitsui admitted then started to look around. 

Kaho then approached Sakura. 

"Sakura, thanks for babysitting today," she said. "Touya got an emergency call this morning and I'm going home late today. Really, thanks so much for making time today."

"No worries at all," Sakura replied, smiling. "I don't mind spending time with the little guy."

"I found it!" Mitsui exclaimed, raising his arm that held the ball. "Come on, onee-san, let's go to the backyard!"

"Give mommy a hug first before she leaves," Kaho called out to her son. Mitsui ran back to his mom and hugged her tightly, but still refusing to let go of his newly-found ball. 

"Love you, mama," he said cutely, giving his mom a peck on the cheek. 

Sakura smiled warmly at the scene before her. 

"Behave while I'm gone okay?" Kaho reminded her son then she turned to Sakura. "Just give me or Touya a call when there's any trouble, okay? Touya said he'll be back around dinner time with food already so don't worry about preparing dinner. There are a lot of snacks in the kitchen if you guys get hungry."

"Take care, Kaho," Sakura said and hugged her sister-in-law. 

Sakura and Mitsui watched Kaho get in her car and drive away before they proceeded to the backyard and played ball. They played other games too and spending time with Mitsui really caused Sakura to reminisce about her youthful days. 

You know… those times when you didn't really have to worry much about anything. 

Time passed by so quickly. They had moved from outside the house to inside the house and probably played every random game they know. Currently, they had grown tired of any physical games and had just decided to sit on the couch and played mind games with each other.

They started with word search that Mitsui gave up on after two rounds, saying it was totally unfair because Aunt Sakura had bigger eyes. They then played snakes and ladders that yet again, Mitsui gave up on, saying that Aunt Sakura had bigger hands to throw the dice. 

"How about let's watch TV?" Sakura suggested. 

"Okay, but I pick the channel!" Mitsui happily sat down on the couch beside Sakura and held the remote in his hands. 

He settled on watching the Anime Channel. Some sappy, romance anime was on and its name escaped Sakura's mind. She remembered watching it during her teenage years…

"Do you know the title of this?" she asked her nephew.

"Hhmm, something sweet and some name of a plant," Mitsui replied, his eyes still on the screen even though he probably does not get what the story is about. 

How could she forget? It was _Honey and Clover_. The show was full of drama and full of life lessons, as far as she could remember. She enjoyed watching it before, interested about how the characters' lives would end up. 

"Onee-san, I thought the long-haired girl loves the man with glasses, why did she go with the other guy, then?" Mitsui questioned her, his eyes fixed on hers, no longer interested with the show but curious to know the answer. 

Sakura looked at her nephew and noted how remarkably brilliant he was. She gave props to Touya and Kaho for raising him well so far. 

"Well, some people do crazy things," she replied. "Sometimes, they just want to settle with what's easier."

"The man with glasses likes another girl, right?" he asked again. Sakura nodded. "Then why does he still care for the other girl?"

"They're friends; that's what friends do," she answered. 

"But he seems to be showing a lot of care for the long-haired girl as a friend," he pointed out smartly. The show went to a commercial. "If people want to settle with what's easier – why can't he just go with the long-haired girl who clearly loves him rather than that other girl?"

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows together and figured the questions wouldn't stop. 

"It's a bit complicated to explain, little guy," she told him. "Maybe you'll find out exactly how things work when you get a little older." She winked at him and ruffled his hair. 

Mitsui pouted for not getting a proper answer but doubled back and stared at his aunt curiously. "Say, onee-san, have you ever liked someone?" he asked, his innocent eyes sparkling. 

An image of Syaoran suddenly filled her mind then her heart started racing. 

"Yeah, yeah, of course I did," Sakura said truthfully. 

"When?"

"Like all the way back in high school."

Mitsui was suddenly gleeful and was more curious about his aunt's life than ever. 

Before he could ask any more questions though, the phone rang. Sakura got up and answered it. 

"Hello, Kinomoto residence," she said over the phone. 

Her brother's voice then came on the other line. "Hey, kaijuu," he greeted. "Doing alright with Mitsui?"

"Yeah, of course," she replied. "Don't call me that, by the way. I'm like… 25 now. You coming home soon?"

"Yeah, I'm just around the block," Touya said. "I bought Chinese for dinner. Is that okay?"

"Wait a sec," Sakura said then put a hand over the phone to scream out at Mitsui if Chinese was alright for dinner. The little kid replied a happy yes so Sakura went back to her brother. "It's okay for Mitsui and me."

"Good, then," she sensed the slight hesitation in his brother's voice. "Look, Sakura, I kinda have something else with me and I want you to be… ready, okay?"

"Sure, whatever," she said slowly, not really bothering to think much about it. 

As soon as she hung up, she heard a car park by the driveway and someone opening the gates. Mitsui's ears caught the noise outside as well and knew that his dad was home. He hurriedly went towards the front door and opened the door himself. 

From the living room, she heard his little voice, "Otto-san!"

"Hello, big guy," she heard Touya's voice. 

She figured it was time to welcome her brother as well so she walked to the front door, but only to find not just her brother and her nephew but Syaoran as well. 

Touya initially felt the tension as soon as Syaoran's and Sakura's eyes locked. He coughed to avert their attention from each other. By now, Mitsui was looking confusedly towards Syaoran's direction as well. Touya signaled Syaoran to come in and the two men removed their shoes. 

Sakura stood still and watched as her brother and Syaoran walked closer. 

When she finally convinced herself that he was indeed real, she spoke out, "You didn't tell me that you're not only bringing Chinese food home, onii-chan," her tone was so bitter. 

"I'll explain it to you later," Touya said in a hush. "For the meantime, let's enjoy dinner, shall we?"

"We're not going to wait for mama?" Mitsui said.

"Mama's going to be home a little bit late, big guy," Touya told his son. 

"But who is she going to eat with later?"

"Me, of course," Touya replied. 

"I want to eat with her also," Mitsui insisted.

"But Mama said you should be sleeping already when she comes back," Touya said. 

Mitsui understood these words and only nodded. He was still looking at Syaoran and his aunt suspiciously. 

---------------------------------

_**Sakura's Point of View**_

Touya introduced little Mitsui to Syaoran and the two pretty much liked each other when they got it out from each other what their favorite color was. They were now in the living room, watching some robot-related anime show while Touya and I were in the dining room, preparing the food on the table. 

Syaoran offered to help but Mitsui insisted that they get to know each other more. 

Why did I have to have a friendly nephew?

"Isn't it time you tell me what's going on?" I asked Touya as I set the plates down neatly on the table. 

Touya was currently preparing mango shake. 

"I thought you would have figured it out by now," Touya said. 

"That you brought that man to spite me? You hate me that much, Touya? And the last I remember you beat up that guy because he made me cry and now you're bringing him under your own roof with me still under it as well," I said in one breath, trying to be calm but finding it quite impossible. 

"No, I didn't bring him to _spite_ you!" he hissed back at me, pressing on the button of the blender a little bit too hard. "I'm stressed enough as it is! I know how you feel about his coming back here… but Sakura, I have to do my job. The agency called me this morning and said that there are death threats again. He didn't even know about it until I picked him up a while ago."

The sound of the blender crushing the ice and mixing it with mango drowned his words but I heard him loud and clear. However, I still did not understand why he had to bring him _here_. Out of all the places!

"…And he's here because?" I said, expecting my brother to finish the sentence. 

"Because he needs to be hidden and protected," Touya put it out simply but I gave him an incredulous look. "I know, I know. I'm putting my family in danger as well but Sakura… I'm the only one who knows the guys after him so well. You understand me, right?"

"Are these the same guys who left you in a coma for almost three months?" I questioned. He didn't reply. The answer was too obvious. 

Finally, I sighed and decided to cut him off some slack. 

"Okay, okay, I got it," I told him. "If you need help on anything, just ask me. And I'm sorry for saying those mean things earlier. I was just… overwhelmed."

"It's okay, Sakura," my brother said softly, now pouring the mango shake into the glasses. "And well, anyway, I heard you're having a party tonight at your place?"

I almost dropped the spoon I was holding. 

"How did you know?"

Touya laughed at me. 

"I didn't but now I do," he said wittily. Aw man, when will I ever escape from the grasps of manipulation of my brother?

"I don't have to ask permission from you or anything, right?" I teased, finally getting done with preparing the table for dinner. 

"Of course not, just be careful," Touya said, putting the glasses on the table neatly. 

There was a hint in Touya's eyes that has I-have-eyes-near-your-apartment written all over it. 

I decided to ignore it. I was a grown-up already. 

Really. 

---------------------------------

_**Syaoran's Point of View**_

When Kinomoto had picked me up from my apartment and told me that we were going to go to his house, I didn't know he was serious. When we were a block away from his house and when I heard that his sister was currently in his house, I couldn't believe it. When I saw Sakura again, flesh and blood, right there in front of me, I believed that I was indeed the luckiest guy on earth. Well, excluding the fact that some thugs were after me again. 

The tension was clearly there as soon as our eyes locked but good thing there was Kinomoto's adorable son to lighten the mood. I didn't know how much I enjoyed being with children until I met Kinomoto Mitsui. 

He was awesome. Possibly the greatest kid I have met. He had a hint of his father and his aunt. Man, they raised him well. 

We stayed in the living room and watched TV while Sakura and Kinomoto prepare dinner.

Maybe after a while, we heard some hushed whispers coming form the dining room from the siblings. I could only guess that they were arguing about me. Mitsui turned curiously at the direction of the dining room and looked inquisitively at me. 

"So… does onee-san know you from somewhere before or something?" he asked me suddenly. 

"Yeah, I know your onee-san, we went to the same high school," I answered truthfully. The kid had a thing around him that you can't just _lie_ flat out since he would know if you were. Maybe a trait inherited from his father. 

By the mention of high school, Mitsui jumped and looked excited. 

"Do you happen to know who she liked?" he asked me and I didn't looked more shocked by the question. 

"Why are you… asking me?" I suddenly felt like a high school boy again. 

Mitsui shrugged. "I don't know, I was asking her awhile ago and she was pretty vague about it," he said. "And then, Otto-san called and I never had a chance to ask her again. So… do you know who she liked?"

"Maybe," was all I said. 

I was sure he was not satisfied with my answer but that was all I could tell him. And before he could ask for more questions, dinner was ready. 

And it was a quiet dinner all in all. Probably even Mitsui was not comfortable. Kinomoto tried to ease the current situation by forcing Mitsui to talk about his day and not address any questions towards me and Sakura. 

Until…

"Hey, onee-san, don't you and onii-chan know each other from high school?" Mitsui asked Sakura. I was a bit surprised that he called me onii-chan already. 

"Uhm, yeah, why?" Sakura asked her nephew. 

"Then, why aren't you talking and catching up?" 

Man, the kid was too inquisitive and smart for his own good. 

"Because… we don't need to?" was Sakura's uncertain response. She looked at her brother for help. 

"Well, would you look at that," Kinomoto said suddenly, pointing at Mitsui's food. "You little guy finished your vegetables all too soon. Why don't you go watch TV for a while now while onee-san and otto-san clean up here?"

Mitsui pouted and was aware that he was just being getting rid of. But nonetheless, the kid obeyed his father and went to the living room. 

"I don't know if my kid is smart or you guys are just way too obvious," Kinomoto grunted, getting up from his seat and clearing his plate. "Sakura, finish your dinner already. It's getting late. Your bartender is probably waiting outside your door."

I saw Sakura almost choke as her brother finished his sentence. Bartender? She was having a party tonight?

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, getting up from her seat as well, not bothering if her food was not finished. "What time is it?" She turned sharply at the wall clock behind her. "Is that the right time? I told him to be there an hour ago! I have to go, Touya! Thanks for the dinner!" She ran towards her brother and gave him a quick hug. 

Her hurried footsteps towards the living room echoed throughout the house. 

"Mitsui-kun, onee-san has to go back home, it's getting late," I heard her tell her nephew. 

"Drive safely, onee-san," I assumed they hugged then I heard the door slam shut and Sakura's wheels drove away from the driveway. 

And then, she was gone. Just like that. 

When I finally absorbed that she was indeed gone, I met Kinomoto's eyes. He was looking intently at me, his eyes really fixed at me. Uuh, did I do something wrong now?

"If you haven't changed at all, you're going to follow her," Kinomoto said plainly. "If it's still the same you from seven years ago, you're going to follow her and make sure that none of the guys that were after you had figured out that you practically go to her house every day. And if I remember correctly," he tossed his car keys towards me. I caught them perfectly. "…you treat cars like they're women. Go."

And you know, knowing Kinomoto from seven years ago, I did not need to be told twice. 

---------------------------------

_**Sakura's Point of View**_

I hurried off back to my house as quickly as possible. Wouldn't that be embarrassing if the bartender you hired would stand outside your door, when he was going to be paid by the hour as soon as he stepped behind the bar? 

I parked my car not so neatly at the basement and pressed the button for the elevator numerous times. C'mon, how slow was this elevator…! My footsteps echoed throughout the corridor as I ran for my apartment door.

And there he was! The bartender… looking quite handsome.

Okay, Sakura, no time to check out the bartender. Now, with the apology.

I saw him straighten up when he saw me approaching and my footsteps slowed down for a bit. I then noticed plastic bags beside him.

"I'm sorry for being late," I said softly, taking out my keys to the apartment. "I'll pay you extra by the end of the night."

"It's okay, Kinomoto-san," he replied respectfully. And his voice just gave me tingles. "And I bought snacks for the night also. I hope you don't mind. I assumed you haven't done it since you haven't been back yet."

I opened the door and let him in, helping him with the bags. 

"You're the best," I told him happily. "How much do I owe you?"

"Just pay me extra again later," he winked at me. 

He stood there for a while, probably not sure where he should go. 

"Uhm, it's still pretty early," I told him. "Guests wouldn't be coming any time soon so you can just chill for a while."

"What are you going to do then?" he asked curiously. 

"I am going to bring out cups and bowls," I answered. 

And how more awkward could the situation be? He offered to help but I told him to chill in the living room and not bother about anything else. 

"Shouldn't I be preparing drinks now?" he asked, still not making his way to the living room. 

"But there are no guests yet," and as soon as I said, the doorbell rang. 

And it all happened too soon. I spoke too soon. The first guest was Tomoyo and after Tomoyo, everyone just started coming. I was not even the one opening the doors already. I managed to arrange the chips for the guests and to play the music. Tomoyo was in charge of the music, she brought her DJ along.

And it was all just so chaotic until the middle of the night when everyone was having fun and dancing like crazy. I finally decided to loosen up and stop worrying about being a host. I didn't realize also that I was probably the only one sober since the beginning of the party and I would not allow it to continue. 

I walked over to the bar and the bartender was holding a glass in his hands expectantly as he saw me walking. 

"I was wondering when you'll go here," he said, smiling slightly. 

"You were waiting for me?" I asked casually, taking a seat in front of the bar. 

"Of course, because usually the host of the party gets the first drink," he replied. 

"That was my plan but I was caught off-guard," I told him. "Why don't you make me the best drink you can make, huh?"

"Sure, sure," he turned his back away from me and fiddled with some bottles before presenting the glass in front of me.

I took a sip. I almost choked as I recognized the taste. 

"Coke?!" I said exasperatedly. "Coke?!" I repeated, giving him a credulous look. 

"I couldn't risk you getting wasted, you still need to pay me," he said teasingly.

It was only then that I realized that he was flirting with me. Well, two could play that game. 

---------------------------------

_**Normal Point of View**_

The flirting continued. On and on and on. 

That was why Sakura didn't even realize that Syaoran had been at the party since an hour ago. Yeah, it was just an hour ago that he found his courage to ring the doorbell and come inside her house. He met up with Tomoyo and other people that he could recognize but they probably would not remember that they had seen him since they had way too much to drink. 

Syaoran decided to sit at a far distance from Sakura and watch her from afar. 

She kept coming back to the bar and talking very friendly to the bartender, he noticed. She was spending so much time with that stranger that he did not like at all. 

Finally, he had enough of it. He glanced at the clock. It was two hours after midnight already. Some people have gone already but some were still busy drinking or playing cards or just fooling around. He was not feeling comfortable with the environment at all. 

Confidently, he walked over to Sakura who was walking over to the bartender again. 

He got hold of her arm and turned her around to look at him. He didn't miss her surprised look. 

"Yes, I'm here," he told her strongly. "Your brother was worried about you. He asked me to make sure you were alright."

Sakura tried to get away from his grasp, but he wouldn't let her go. From behind the bar, the bartender saw what was going on. Syaoran noticed that he was going to come over to them.

"Whatever, can you let go of me now?" she said. "And as far as I know, you weren't invited," Syaoran was making no move to release her. "Li Syaoran, you must learn how to figure out whether you're wanted or not. Let go of me!" she hissed and finally, he did.

The bartender was having a hard time reaching them. The dancing bodies were in his way. Syaoran only glared at the guy and Sakura looked back, her face full of relief. Syaoran did not miss this and got more frustrated. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and calmed himself.

Finally, he took a step closer to her. 

"He's not good enough for you," he whispered in her ear, his hands getting hold of her arms, their bodies only inches away from each other. 

His breath on her ear sent tingles up her spine and she stood there frozen on her spot as she took in his words. When he walked away from her, his eyes remained fixed on hers, trying to let her know that he meant what he said and he meant something so much more. His gaze broke away from hers just when he turned around to proceed to the exit.

She was left there in confusion and uneasiness. Her heart was beating fast… faster than ever, just like it used to when he was around. 

She found that Syaoran could still take her breath away. 

And the guy approaching her now meant nothing. 

As Syaoran's presence was completely gone from the room, she suddenly felt empty. And no drink that the bartender was offering her could fill the void. 

---------------------------------  
**end of chapter two.  
**---------------------------------

_Preview of Chapter 3:_

Sakura and Syaoran spend time together, whether they like it or not.

**Author's Notes:  
**And yes, the bartender does not have a name. If I were to give him a name, he would be more significant, but his significance only remains in this chapter so I did not give him a name. Also, sorry this took so long to come out. I had been busy. Hope this meet your standards and expectations. If it seemed pretty dragging, I'm sorry. But I wish you all loved it all the same. Thanks very much for reading. Please review!


	3. everything's alright

**Shadow of Greed**

_By: _DEVILZ CHIK

---------------------------------

**Author's Notes:**

I'm sorry for the very late update. I am very glad though that people still send me reviews about it. It always makes me work on it. However, I've just been busy these days. It's quite exhausting. But here's finally Chapter 3 for all of you. I hope it was worth the wait.

**Summary:**

Sequel to Your Shadow. No moments forgotten, no feelings vanished. Sakura and Syaoran meet again – are they ready to be together now… with the shadow of greed looming over their eyes?

**Disclaimer:**

_I don't own CCS. _

Enjoy reading now.

---------------------------------

**chapter three: everything's alright**

---------------------------------

_**Normal Point of View **_

Hangover.

Sakura could not remember the last time she had one. Her head felt like it was going to explode. It was too heavy for her entire body. And the annoying ringing of the phone was not helping her condition at all.

She lazily reached for her phone on her nightstand, clicked the answer button and spoke out as best as she could, "Hello?"

"Not a good morning, huh?" her brother's voice was unmistakable.

She replied something incoherent. Her brother just laughed.

"Well, I already sent someone to take care of you and I hope you two take care of each other," he said, but none of it was really registering in her mind. She was slowly starting to lose grip on her phone and she was slowly drifting back to sleepy land.

"Sure," she replied.

"I gave him your keys, I hope you don't mind," her brother kept talking. "And you do know who I'm talking about, right?"

"Hmm, who?"

"Li Syaoran, of course."

She was definitely getting up now.

No matter how much her head hurts, hearing Li Syaoran's name absolutely meant bad news.

"'nii-chan, can you repeat what you just told me?" she asked slowly, putting the phone super close to her ear to make sure she would hear him correctly.

"I knew his name would perk you up," Touya said. "I said Li is coming over there now. He has your keys. He's your guard for today. Agency said so. Sorry, Sakura, you remain to be an ally and they chose you to protect him for the meantime since I'm off chasing those people now. Be nice to each other now. Take care!"

And without letting her object, without waiting for her to protest or react to what he said, he just hung up and all she could hear was the annoying repeating sound of the busy tone.

She screamed into her pillow.

She hated her brother.

-

-

Sakura didn't bother to take a shower.

She bothered to brush her hair, though and change into nicer clothes than her pajamas. She bothered to feed Kero as well. However, she didn't bother to clean up the rest of the mess in her house as she waited for Li's arrival.

She figured maybe she could pretend to be on the bed and just let him clean. As far as she remembered, that guy could not stand a messy room.

When Kero came running towards the door, she knew he was here. _He_ was here. Again. He could be her worst nightmare by now, completely forgetting that he was momentarily the man of her dreams. She shivered at the thought.

She hoped none of their high school times together would creep up to them later.

As she opened the door, she decided to quickly go straight to her room and rest. He could deal with himself better than anyone she knew. All the bodyguards around him were basically a pretense and all for show.

Without any greeting, he walked in. He was dressed simply: a plain black polo shirt with jeans. She averted her eyes from his figure. Ah, he really could still take her breath away.

"Have fun, feel at home," she said insincerely and started walking back to her room. However, he grabbed hold of her wrist. "What do you want?" she spat.

"Did you eat breakfast yet?" he asked nicely, taking in how she looked like.

She freed her wrist from her grasp and attempted to fix her hair. She _tried_ to look pleasant already, wasn't that enough?

"What do you care?" she said bitterly towards him.

Syaoran didn't even wince. "Your brother sent me here to take care of you and that's what I'm gonna do."

He dragged her to the kitchen and forced her to sit down on one of the stools. His eyes scanned the room and he was absolutely disgusted at the mess from last night.

Sakura smirked. "Well, I'm going to rest now," she chimed, knowing full well that he would not leave the messy kitchen before it was cleaned up. And it was better like this – he would be done by… the end of the day, by the time he needs to leave.

That was what she was hoping for anyway.

But… "Okay, fine, go back to your room," he called out to her. "Don't lock the door, though. I'm going to make breakfast for you."

She ignored him and continued walking. _Well, good luck with waking me up_.

But after a while, her sleep was disturbed as soon as the scent of what he was cooking reached her nose. Why did she have to keep the door open again? He just said not to lock it, so maybe closing it would be fine, but why did she have to keep it open?

It smelled good. Pancakes smelled good. Pancakes. Pancakes.

Before she knew it, she was lifting her blanket, getting up from her bed and walking back to the kitchen. Syaoran only turned to look at her as she settled back down on the stool and kept cooking his magnificent pancakes. Sakura knew he was smirking and she decided that she would let him win this time since those pancakes smelled really good.

And the pancakes did not just smell good, it tasted good as well.

"Wow, I have to admit that these…" she chewed more. "…are really good."

-

-

After her breakfast, her hangover was surprisingly subsiding. She might have even forgotten about it as she watched Syaoran cleaning her kitchen with grace and care.

"Can I go back to my room?" Sakura asked him as she put away the plate she used.

Syaoran stared at her for a moment before cracking a smile. "Aw, Sakura, you don't have to ask permission from me," he teased. "I serve you today."

He winked and tingles went up her spine. She shivered.

"You're creepy," she stated. "Don't you dare do something bad when I'm sleeping!" she warned him.

"I will never do something bad to you," he assured her.

He chuckled afterwards, which Sakura ignored as she made her way back to her room.

She was getting comfortable on her bed and sleep was really taking over her until she heard Kero's barks. Then, she heard her front door slam open and at the same time, Syaoran burst into her room.

"Hey!" she exclaimed but the horrified look on his face was telling her that this was an emergency. He shut the door behind him after Kero ran after him.

"There's probably five of them," was Syaoran's simple sentence.

There were people trying to get in the room now. Kero was endlessly barking and growling at the door. Sakura did not even try to shush him. From that simple sentence, Sakura knew quickly what he meant by it.

She got up quickly and reached from under her bed for her pistol. She opened her bedside drawer and took out another gun, which she threw at Syaoran's direction. Syaoran caught it easily and was ready by the door.

After a few more moments, the banging of the door stopped.

"We don't want this to be messy," a voice said from the other side of the door. "It's better for everyone if Mr. Li would go with us quietly."

The two locked eyes with each other.

_And I thought Touya was after these guys. Why the hell are they here? Unless Touya's been… _

"Impossible," she finished with a whisper. She signaled Syaoran to stay away from the door. Kero was still barking. She quickly shushed him and the dog stopped and ran under Sakura's bed. The poor dog probably saw the menacing eyes of Sakura.

Syaoran was confused with her actions.

"Sakura, I know you're strong and very skilled but you can't take them all down," he pointed out.

"I know," she said quite calmly.

Syaoran watched her tuck in the gun behind her. She quickly walked to her dresser, took out a hair tie and started fixing her hair. He gave her a credulous look.

"Sakura, it's not the time to fix your hair!" he scolded her.

She just rolled her eyes.

"It's going to be hot wherever they're going to take us," she commented.

Syaoran felt like the world had just turned upside down. He rushed over to her to make sure she was not kidding. He searched her eyes and figured that she was definitely serious.

"We're going with them?!" he repeated.

"We're coming!" Sakura shouted at the door.

"Good, good, now let us in!" demanded the voice from behind the door.

"You've gone crazy," Syaoran told her.

Sakura quickly went to her bathroom and he heard some fumbling with bottles in there. She then went out and he could tell that she put lotion in her hands. He rolled his eyes – she was the most organized hostage he ever met. (Well, he hadn't really met any hostages before… but he could not believe how calm she was!)

_And to think, she should be having a hangover. _

"You ready?" she asked him and he just slowly nodded. "Kero-chan…" she called the dog. Kero quickly ran to her and she held him in her arms.

She then prepared herself to open the door.

"We're coming out now, I'm opening the door," she informed them. "Li is coming with you under three conditions!"

There were murmurs from outside.

"What three conditions?!" they asked.

"One: I go with him. Two: The dog goes with us, too. Three: No one gets killed," Sakura said plainly.

Arguments soon followed.

"The dog?!"

"We can take the girl, she's harmless."

"The dog?!"

"The dog is no problem, too, goddammit! It's a small dog!"

"The dog?!"

"As long as Li goes with us peacefully, we have an agreement," the voice replied to Sakura.

Sakura beckoned Syaoran to stand behind her as she opened the door. Syaoran still had a gun in his hand but he raised his arms as soon as he saw the men from outside. There were five men waiting for them. They slowly went inside the room and surrounded the two of them. Kero was growling in Sakura's arms.

"We had an agreement – no one gets killed!" Sakura reminded them, keeping eye contact to the person she assumed to be the leader.

"Drop your guns!" the leader commanded. Syaoran slowly put his gun down. He did the same to Sakura's gun from her back.

"Get their guns!" another command. Two men walked forward and picked up the guns. "Makuto, handcuff them!"

And so, they were handcuffed. Sakura's right hand and Syaoran's left hand.

Syaoran wished to the heavens that Sakura knew what she was doing.

They walked out of Sakura's apartment conspicuously and silently. Kero also remained silent.

Then, they found themselves at the back of a delivery truck. Three men joined them at the back to watch over them, guns ready.

When the truck started moving, Sakura yawned.

Her headache was coming back.

-

-

_**Syaoran's Point of View**_

How romantic could this be?

I could not believe that I was going to be in close proximity again with Sakura like this. Handcuffed together, kidnapped and taken at a back of a truck. Hold that thought – could this still be considered kidnapping when we technically went _willingly_ with the bad guys?

I glanced over at Sakura beside me. I could tell that her eyelids were getting very, very heavy.

"Don't tell me you're going to sleep in a situation like this," I told her.

She only cracked a smile while lazily petting Kero with her free hand.

"We're going to be alright," she whispered to me.

She had then already closed her eyes.

She had already leaned her head on my shoulder.

But before she drifted to sleep, I felt her grasp my left hand and gave it a light squeeze, assuring me that _everything is alright_.

I was not sure whether there was any meaning to what she just told me. Does she still remember the song that I gave her seven years ago? Leaving her was the hardest thing I ever did and coming back was also as difficult. Seeing her once again filled the void that I was carrying for seven years. My heart still had the special place that she occupied from seven years ago. And now I wonder, was it the same for her?

All of a sudden, the truck stopped.

I looked at the three men with us at the back and saw their surprised expressions.

"Uh-oh," I heard from the front.

The three men became alert and ran towards the door. They had their guns ready as they waited for the door to open.

Through the commotion, Sakura stirred and rubbed her eyes.

"That was quick," she said and yawned. She noticed that I was looking at her. "I told you we'll be alright." She winked and went back to petting Kero.

"What are you talking about, girl?!" one of the men demanded.

Sakura only smirked at them.

"We're probably not in motion right now because the driver realized that we are being followed ever since we left my apartment," she started explaining. "He also probably noticed by now that this vehicle is now surrounded."

We slowly stood up.

Wow. I was definitely impressed.

We could hear movements from behind the truck. Someone was trying to open the door. The three men looked expectedly. Sakura chuckled.

"Wanna bet that it's my brother opening that door?" she asked me, her face brightening.

The men already had their guns ready… they were ready to shoot the person from behind the door.

And shoot they did. As soon as the door opened wide, revealing the morning sun, they pulled the trigger and shot the two men with black masks. They looked back at us and decided that it was better to run for their lives. They ran outside but just as soon as they stepped out, men grabbed them and knocked them unconscious.

"So I guess I lost that bet," Sakura continued as the trouble ended.

I could only now breathe out in complete relief.

"Sakura!" I recognized Kinomoto's voice.

"Coming, onii-chan," Sakura replied.

We slowly got off the truck and were assisted by Kinomoto's men. As soon as Kinomoto saw his sister in one piece, he hugged her tightly, checking everywhere if she was not hurt.

"I didn't know what to do if something happened to you!" Kinomoto said, still slightly frightened for his sister. "I didn't mean to make you the bait. It was not the plan at all! They slipped from our sight, so we had no idea that they saw Syaoran going to your place," he explained. "But oh, you handled it so well!"

"She really handled it well," I commented, a bit embarrassed that I was scared at first when Sakura decided that we would go with the bad guys. "She even slept while we were inside."

"I was still sleepy," she pouted. "It was too early for something like this. Did you get my signal from the bathroom or from the drawer?"

What? What bathroom? What drawer?

"Drawer," her brother replied.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"When I opened the drawer and took out the gun to give you, it triggered an alarm back to Touya," Sakura quickly explained.

Oh. Wow. I put the pieces together and realized that Sakura's apartment was much _secured_. I wonder how many more precautions exist in her apartment. Being aware of Kinomoto's over-protectiveness, he probably designed the security system in her apartment.

"I was only living by myself for one year, if you're curious," she informed me and that confirmed that it was difficult for her to move out of the house.

"We'll get those cuffs off," Kinomoto said as he called one of his men to work on the metal object between us.

-

-

Kinomoto along with his men drove us to a hotel. They checked in a room for us so that we could our statement about what happened today. Kinomoto told us that the men were just sent to scare me. They were not planning to "kill" me at all, which was why they were willing to take Sakura along… and the dog.

"They were hired to do such a simple job," Kinomoto further explained. "But they were bad at it. They even shot at their own team."

When they needed to report back to the agency, Kinomoto bid us goodbye and told us to stay in the room for a while. He left a few men outside the room to watch over us.

"Wash up," he told us, leaving some clothes on the table. Where he got it, don't ask me. "And I trust you both enough to be adults and not do anything stupid. Your reunion had been tough so far, but gaki, if you touch my sister…"

He left his sentence hanging like that. He walked out of the room and closed the door.

And that leaves me with Sakura alone in this big room.

The whole day had been awkward enough for us already and this situation was adding to the awkwardness. We spent minutes just staring at each other. Kero was comfortably sleeping in the corner. I wish I were a dog right so everyone would just ignore me.

"You can shower first," she told me. I only nodded and went to the bathroom quietly.

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom. I was slowly starting to hate myself for not being able to say anything meaningful to her all day. She even handled the situation better than me, and I was the guy. Until now, she was the one protecting me. Until now, she was still the same strong Sakura.

When would be the time that she would depend on me?

That she would trust me again to be by her side?

That she would tell me that she loves me?

But, she held my hand a while ago, didn't she? Was there meaning behind it?

I washed my face quickly and inhaled a long breath.

This was probably the perfect opportunity I could have in a lifetime. A time like this would never come to me again. I was never brave enough to ring her doorbell during those times that I went back here. But now… I know I am.

Gathering up my courage, I went out of the bathroom and walked up to Sakura.

-

-

_**Normal Point of View**_

"I didn't hear the water, is there a problem?" Sakura asked Syaoran when she saw him come out of the bathroom with the same clothes on.

"Yes," he replied to her.

She looked at him curiously.

"What… is it?" she slowly asked, finding his actions very weird.

She had cocked her head to the side to examine him. Did he hit his head? Was today too traumatic for him?

"I…" he started.

"You…?" she asked him to continue.

But when a minute passed that he still had not spoken a word, Sakura gave up and walked away from him.

"If you don't want to shower yet, then I will!" she declared, making her way to the bathroom.

But she didn't get far because Syaoran grabbed her wrist and turned her around to look at him. He then rested his hands on her shoulders. He was surprised that she did not shrug them off. For her part, she was interested what he was up to.

"Li Syaoran, if you're playing games with me, I'm going to beat you up," she warned, looking at him straight in the eye.

"I'm not… playing games with you," he told her. "I just want to ask something…"

"Well, hurry it up!" she demanded, getting impatient.

"A while ago, when we were in the truck, before you fell asleep," he slowly began. "You held my hand…"

Hearing this, Sakura shrugged off his hands from her shoulders. She avoided his eyes.

"So?" she asked.

"I just want to know if…"

"If what, Li?!" she burst out. She turned towards him again, her eyes blaring. "If I still had feelings for you after all these years? If I still had feelings for you after you left me without saying bye properly? If I have been waiting for you to come back?!"

Tension filled the room.

"Do you really want to know?" she continued. His silence told her yes. "I can't bring myself to understand why you still want to know. Does it even matter now?!"

Syaoran slowly walked towards Sakura. He stopped when they were only an arm's apart. He did not break his eye contact with her. He was memorizing every detail on her delicate face. He was admiring the way her eyes glowed with emotion.

Sakura, on the other hand, refused to be intimidated by his height. Standing so close to him, she felt small, but she was not going to back away. She was there to show him that she was strong, that he was not going to make her cry anymore and that he could not cause her the same pain and suffering she had felt before.

Carefully, Syaoran brought his hand up to tuck some of her bangs behind her ear. Sakura drew back slightly but did not pull away completely.

"Yes, Sakura, it matters," he said in a serious tone.

His hand lingered on her face.

"Why?!" she demanded. "Coming back doesn't make things the way they were before!"

"Because I'm here to stay to get you back," he declared.

It was almost like a declaration of his love and determination. His statement did not soften Sakura's expression on her face, though. She was still glaring at him and it was clear that it was going to be difficult for Syaoran to accomplish what he just said.

"I don't believe you," she spat.

She was ready to walk away from him but Syaoran brushed her hair back smoothly so her head was tilted up to him. He leaned closer and dove in for a kiss.

It had been too long since both of them felt like this. Like _this_. Like time stopped and all they could think about was the person that was in front of them.

It had been too long that Sakura thought she had forgotten how soft his lips were… how gentle he was when he kisses her… how tight he holds her in his arms.

It had been way, way, _way_ too long for the both of them.

So they cherished every moment of it.

Sakura's hands had climbed up around his neck.

She had already leaned in closer to kiss him deeper.

He already knew that she believed him now.

They were both already smiling as they share their passionate kiss.

-

-

---------------------------------

**end of chapter three.**

---------------------------------

-

-

**Author's Notes:** Don't you just love me for updating this story? Haha! Well, I don't have future plans specifically for the next chapter so I can't provide any previews for now. All I know is I'm going to come up with my very first intense, romantic "scene". And I can assure you that they will be undisturbed.

Please review! It might take a while for the next chapter to be up since I'm working on updating my other stories. I'm trying to catch up.

Thanks for reading!

With lots of love,

DEVILZ CHIK


End file.
